In 1853 the Stormontfield operations, or experiments, were commenced. Mr Robert Buist held the office of Superintendent of the Tay at the time, and the management of the ponds came into his hands. Only about one acre of ground was occupied by breeding-boxes, canals, and feeding ponds. Up to 1863 there was one feeding or rearing pond. This prevented the spawning of the fish more often than once in two years. A new larger pond was added in 1864.  The pond’s breeding-boxes, inside measurement, is the following - 5 feet 10.5 inches long, 1.5 feet broad, ad 1 foot deep. Twelve boxes in each row, and 30 rows in all (360 boxes of these dimensions). The boxes were placed in double rows in the breeding-pond with an 18 inches wide footpath between each double row.
The water passes through each row of boxes, from the canal stretching along the upper end of the pond, by gravitation; this canal is copiously fed with water from the filtering-bed; the boxes are laid with a fall of 2 inches on each box, or 2 feet in the row of 12 boxes, and the water passes from box to box by openings or notches 4 inches by 2 in the middle of the divisions between the boxes. The boxes are formed of 2 inch wood. Shown on the pond map here, is the Lade at the top, then the Filtering-pond, the Breeding-boxes, Old Feeding Pond and New Feeding Pond, open Canals, then the River tay. The keepers house is also shown top left under the lade marked. | 
